Hawaii has the second-lowest adult obesity rate in the country, a new report says.

According to “The State of Obesity: Better Policies for a Healthier America,” Hawaii’s adult obesity rate is 21.8 percent, down 1.8 percent from 2012.

The report says obesity is highest among people ages 26-44 at 26.9 percent followed closely by the 45-64 age bracket at 25.2 percent.

Rates increased in six states in the past year — Alaska, Delaware, Idaho, New Jersey, Tennessee and Wyoming.

Rates of obesity now exceed 35 percent for the first time in two states. Twenty states now have adult obesity rates at or above 30 percent, 43 states have rates of at least 25 percent, and every state is above 20 percent.

In 1980, no state was above 15 percent; in 1991, no state was above 20 percent; in 2000, no state was above 25 percent; and, in 2007, only Mississippi was above 30 percent.

Findings reveal that significant geographic, income, racial, and ethnic disparities persist, with obesity rates highest in the South and among Blacks, Latinos and lower-income, less-educated Americans.

The report was published by the Trust for America’s Health (TFAH) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF).

2013 STATE-BY-STATE ADULT OBESITY RATES
Based on an analysis of new state-by-state data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey, adult obesity rates by state from highest to lowest were: